Deadlines loom for Congress in new year

Congress has returned to Washington, D.C., with unfinished business and some critical deadlines in January. Funding for vital safety net programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Federally Qualified Health Centers Community Health Centers, as well as funding the federal government must be addressed immediately. Funding for CHIP and FQHCs expired Sept. 30, 2017, and until this matter is resolved, the Society will continue to ask Congress to make funding these programs a priority.

Congress also must resolve how to fund the federal government, given that existing funding is set to expire on January 19. Lawmakers may offer another short-term continuing resolution or a longer-term funding fix for specific programs such as the health care safety net. To further outline priorities for 2018, President Trump will speak to the nation at the State of the Union address on January 30.

Open enrollment for 2018 concludes
Nearly 228,000 Wisconsinites signed up for health care coverage during the six-week 2018 Marketplace enrollment period, which concluded December 15. That number is slightly lower than last year, when Wisconsin enrollment totaled 242,863 and the enrollment period was six weeks longer.